MARCH 2018 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC Orchard app unveiled at BC Tree Fruit forum


Washington State web-based innovation has been adapted for Okanagan conditions by TOM WALKER


KELOWNA – The newly launched computer-assisted BC Decision Aid System (BC DAS) was the hot topic at the BC Tree Fruit Horticultural Symposium in Kelowna on February 8. Originally developed at Washington State University in Wenatchee, the system has been retooled for the Okanagan. “I’m really excited about the whole


program,” says Charlotte Leaming with BC Tree Fruits field services. “It’s my horticulture message but better. It’s in real time and has a forecast” BC DAS is a web-based platform


designed to transfer timely information on pest management to orchardists using real-time, local weather data and scientific pest and disease management information to help predict and manage pests and diseases. The Okanagan-Kootenay Sterile


Insect Release Program (SIR) is the lead agency for the program in BC. The project was identified as a priority action under the Okanagan Regional Adaptation Strategy released by the BC Agriculture and Food Climate Action Initiative (CAI) in 2016 and funded as part of the $300,000 investment to implement the strategy by the federal and provincial governments through Growing Forward 2. SIR contributed to the development


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of BC DAS and is covering the costs to make the tool available at no cost to growers. Two DAS orientation sessions at the forum gave a closer look at the system’s features, and SIR and BC Tree Fruits staff were available to help growers enroll in the system. Vince Jones, director of the


program that developed DAS, explained how the system was adapted for the Okanagan. Weather stations across the valley


were connected and pest management recommendations from the BC Tree Fruit Production Guide were loaded to correspond with products registered in Canada. When a grower logs into BC DAS


(versions are available for smart phones and tablets), they can check a particular block and search a particular pest. A screen comes up with real time data on weather, degree days, current conditions and stages of the pest, and recommended management practices. A list of approved chemicals can be


brought up, including both conventional and organic products with full information on the product, recommended timings, as well as an indication of how that product might impact beneficial insects in the orchard. The program incorporates weather


forecasts to make predictions to highlight issues that may be coming in the next week or so. “The forecasts tell you when


something is going to happen ahead of time,” says Jones, allowing growers to be proactive and ready with a management plan. “It allows you to do things at the right time.” Jones says that 90% of the fruit


acreage in Washington is covered under DAS, saving growers an average of $75 an acre.


New market challenge


With the increase in fruit tree plantings in the last several years, finding a market for BC fruit and particularly the popular Ambrosia apple remains critical. Garland Perkins, US retail solutions specialist with the Oppenheimer Group that distributes BC Tree Fruits product in the US, gave growers an overview of current trends in the US grocery market. “The US retail grocery landscape is


changing rapidly,” Garland pointed out. “One quarter of American households are now involved in some type of on-line grocery shopping.” Produce branding is becoming a


necessity, Garland says. Branded items now account for 30% of produce sales. Ambrosia’s recent rebranding reflects the trend. The premium apple category, which includes Ambrosia and Honeycrisp, has seen average growth of 13% in the last five years. “But the apple section of grocery stores is crowded,” Perkins points out.


Promotion is key to maintaining


market share but doesn’t necessarily put any more dollars directly into growers’ pockets. “But it does increase demand,”


Perkins explains. Steven McArtney from Valent BioSciences Corp. in Illinois spoke about plant growth regulators used for thinning, branching and harvest management. Tory Schmidt from the Washington


Tree Fruit Research Commission presented his work with pollen tube models. Carl Withler, tree fruit and grape specialist with the BC Ministry of Agriculture, gave an update on the replant program, which has helped to support replanting of an average of 200 acres of orchard in each of the last three years. The current iteration of the program will end in 2021, Withler pointed out, advising growers to “plan accordingly.” Small group sessions included updates on Brown Marmorated Stink Bug, the Japanese Beetle and Apple Clearwing Moth by Susanna Acheampong and Tamara Richardson. A pathology workshop was led by Danielle Hirkala and Charlotte Leaming.


Ken Sapsford, pesticide specialist with the BC Ministry of Agriculture, spoke about the correct use of herbicides to minimize the development of resistance.


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